Can Atlanta Braves Afford to Sign Willy Adames?

Alex Anthopoulos announced that the he expects the Atlanta Braves 2025 payroll to increase over 2024’s. He said that every year he’s been with the Braves the payroll has gone up and he doesn’t expect that to change in 2025. There had been speculation that the Braves would attempt to go under the CBT threshold in 2025 so they didn’t incur the maximum penalties that go along with exceeding the CBT three-straight years. Evidently, money is no object for the Atlanta Braves.

If you want to get into the nuts and bolts of the CBT or “luxury tax” you can read more here, but why would you want to do that right now? Let’s start imagining a Braves lineup that can afford one of the top free agents on the market!

Why Money Does Buy Happiness

The Braves payroll came in right around the third tier (highest) of the competitive balance tax threshold in 2024 at around $279 million. It’s a lot more fun when your team spends money, isn’t it?

Who ever said money doesn’t buy happiness was probably a rich person who wasn’t worried about how to pay the electric bill. On one of his albums, John Mayer gives a speech about how he had all the girls, bought a boat, big house, all the stuff… and you know (gently playing dreamy, non-materialistic guitar riffs) it doesn’t buy happiness.

Give me a break, money buys happiness.

Happiness is not having to worry about how to afford gas in your car. Money buys that.

Happiness is not having to worry about how you will afford food for your kids. Money buys that.

Happiness is being able to afford one of the top shortstops on the free agent market. Money buys that.

Atlanta Braves Have a Hole at Shortstop With Orlando Arcia

Shortstop is the most glaring area in need of improvement for the Braves offense in 2025. Orlando Arcia is not a good hitter. He’s a lot of fun, and appears to be a good for the team morale. He’s good at defense, for sure. But man his bat is dragging things down. After his All-Star 2023 campaign, Arcia’s career OPS+ was 79.

You might be surprised to discover that his All-Star 2023 season only resulted in a 99 OPS+. Arcia was bad this season. He had an OPS+ of 73 in 2024. Orlando Arcia hit just .217 with a lowly .271 on-base percentage. The .271 on-base percentage is not an outlier for Arcia, his career OBP is just .295.

At least Arcia is good at defense though, that makes it okay that he’s 27% below league average in OPS. Right?

Orlando Arcia’s Defensive Metrics

Arcia posted 0 defensive runs saved in 2024 with the Braves. Don’t mistake that for bad. Rdrs scores on several factors and it doesn’t mean he actually saved zero runs. It’s a scoring system and they misleadingly named it like it’s counting the amount of runs he saved. Kind of like how they calculate WAR…

What it means is that he was an average major-league shortstop based on all the metrics they measured. An average major-league shortstop is REALLY good. StatCast has a metric called Outs Above Average which is focused on fielder range. In terms of OAA, Arcia is in the 87th percentile.

You know from watching him with your eyes, he’s a really good defensive shortstop. But, does it make up for being a bad hitter?

How Many Years Are Left on Orlando Arcia’s Contract?

Orlando Arcia has one year and $2 million left on his deal. He has a club option in 2026 that comes with $1 million buyout. This is backup money. Should the Braves choose to pursue Adames in free agency, they can afford to sit Arcia on the bench for the next two years and be comfortable in knowing they have a capable replacement in the event of an injury.

Why Willy Adames Would be a Huge Upgrade for Atlanta Braves

Willy Adames‘ OPS+ was 45 points better than Arcia’s last season.

His 32 homers, 112 RBI, and 21 SBs would fit oh-so-nicely into the Braves lineup.

Adames wasn’t just a great hitter for a shortstop last season, he was a great hitter regardless of position.

Willy Adames 2024 StatCast Numbers

• xwOBA: 78th Percentile
• xSLG: 85th Percentile
• Barrel %: 82nd Percentile
• LA Sweet-Spot %: 84th Percentile
• Bat Speed: 77th Percentile
• BB%: 80th Percentile
• Batting Run Value: 91st Percentile

Adames hits for power, has speed, and he takes walks.

The Braves are a World Series contender when they are healthy. They have a rock-solid young core of superstar players. If Adames is interested in winning a championship, Atlanta is an ideal destination in need of an upgrade at his position.

Willy Adames Has a Proven Track Record

Over the past four seasons, Adames has averaged 28 homers and 91 RBI. Adames is in the 67th percentile in OAA and he has a stronger arm than Arcia.

The offensive upgrade is worth a lot of money to Atlanta. If the Braves are willing to keep spending this offseason, this might be the place to do it.

Should the Braves go after Willy Adames this offseason? Let us know in the comments!

More Atlanta Braves Off-Season Resources

• Why Braves Should Sign Willy Adames
• Why Braves Won’t Re-Sign Max Fried
• Why Braves Won’t Sign Jack Flaherty
• 2025 MLB Free Agents – Full List
• 2025 Braves Under Contract
• 2025 Braves Free Agents
• Top 10 MLB Free Agent Starting Pitchers